This slow cooker birria recipe is the perfect way to enjoy rich, authentic Mexican flavors without spending all day in the kitchen.
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Traditionally from Jalisco, Mexico, birria is a slow-cooked stew made with tender beef simmered in a deeply flavorful chile-based sauce.
Whether you serve it as a comforting stew or turn it into crispy birria tacos, this dish is guaranteed to be a family favorite.
Table of Contents
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
Sear the meat all sides on medium heat to lock in the flavors. Mmm… imagine the smell! It’s Mexcellent! 😃
The best cut of meat to use is boneless beef chuck roast. Chop into beef chunks for searing in batches.
Originally, this recipe was made with goat meat. You might also find people who make with lamb.
These dried chiles are what give amazing smokiness flavor to the beef. We’re using guajillo chiles and ancho chile.
Full ingredients list is below in the printable recipe card.
It’s easy to devein and remove the seeds from the chiles. Start by cutting off the tops, or the stems.
Then cut them lengthwise. Do you see the seeds? You don’t want these in your sauce. Remove them. You won’t be able to get all of them. Just remove as many as you can. If you can remove any veins, remove them too.
Place your stems removed, deveined, and seeds removed chiles in a stock pot. You will need to use a pot that can handle all the chiles.
Reconstituting chiles means they have to soak in hot water. This does not take long. 5-10 minutes at the most.
There really are no substitutions for these two types of chiles. If you can’t find guajillos, use chipotles. They have great smoky flavor.
To make this birria sauce recipe, you will need all these aromatics. Spices like ¼ cinnamon stick, thyme, Mexican oregano, cloves, laurel leaves (or bay leaves), salt, and pepper. It sounds like a lot, but each spice brings a lot of flavor to the dish.
Add the spices, the reconstituted chiles, liquid, bouillon, and garlic to the blend. Blend until smooth. Since we are not straining, make sure it is fully blended. You might need to blend a second time.
Not a fan of bouillon? Use beef broth instead.
For a smoother adobo sauce, strain the sauce. Set this aside until ready to use. This is what will help create a rich consommé.
If the sauce tastes too spicy, add 1-2 tomatoes to the blender and blend away. They will help reduce the heat level.
Back to our beef… salt and pepper the side that’s up. Then turn and sear the uncooked side. You really want color on your beef. Don’t skip this step. It helps lock in some amazingly delicious flavors.
The slow cooker is your friend in the kitchen. You can go shopping, go horseback riding, watch two movies, and your food will not burn. Gotta love that!
This crockpot birria recipe is sure to be a hit, but just in case… Stovetop and instant pot instructions are in the recipe card below.
Now time to add the sauce. You want the sauce to cover the entire piece of beef. If it doesn’t for some strange reason, add more water and a little more salt or simply add beef broth.
Slow cook the meat – Set it on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours. The meat will be fall-apart tender and ready to eat.
🫙 Storing & Reheating Instructions
- Store leftovers in airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheat in a microwave covered for 2 ½ to 3 minutes.
🥘 How To Serve
- Beef Birria is typically served with raw diced onion, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and a dozen tortillas.
- Or, you can take it up a notch and use the shredded meat to make Birria Ramen, Instant Pot Birria Tacos (also known as quesabirria tacos), Birria Burritos, even Birria Tamales!
🥩 More Mexican Beef Recipes
- Barbacoa de Res (Beef Barbacoa)
- Carne con Papas (Beef and Potatoes)
- Salpicon de Res (Cold Beef Salad)
- Caldillo (Mexican Beef Stew)
- Milanesa de Res (Fried Beef Steak)
- Carne Asada Street Tacos
This slow cooker birria recipe delivers bold, authentic Mexican flavor with minimal effort. Juicy shredded beef and a rich consommé make it perfect for tacos or serving as a stew.
😋 Hungry for More
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Slow Cooker Birria Recipe (Birria de Res)
Ingredients
- 4 lbs roast beef
- 3-4 cups water
- 5 dried chile guajillo
- 2 dried chile ancho
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 clove
- ¼ whole cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon
- 2 laurel leaves or bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the griddle, or pan.
- Toast the chiles on the griddle for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn frequently.
- Make sure they do not burn.
- If they burn, discard the chiles and start again.
- Once toasted, transfer to a heatproof bowl.
- Add 1 cup hot water and let the chiles soak for 5 minutes, or until pliable.
- Seed and devein the chiles, saving the water.
- Don’t worry if some seeds remain.
- Add the saved water, the chiles, garlic, oregano, thyme, clove, cinnamon, bouillon, laurel leaves (or bay leaves), salt and pepper in a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Set aside.
- In a large pot, heat two tablespoons oil.
- Add salt and pepper to the beef.
- Sear the beef on all sides.
- Once the meat is brown, transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the chile mixture from the blender.
- Add enough water to cover the meat.
- Set slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.
- Shred beef.
- Serve with diced onions, chopped cilantro, and tortillas.
Video
Notes
- Make the sauce as instructed above.
- Add oil. Press Saute.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides.
- Remove the meat and add the chile sauce and water.
- Return the meat to the pot.
- Cover with lid. Press Pressure Cook. 55 minutes.
- Release pressure. Serve and enjoy.
- Make the sauce as instructed above.
- Keep the meat in the pot.
- Pour sauce over the meat.
- Cover with lid and cook for 2 hours.
- Until fork tender.
Hi,
Looks awesome but how can I cut the recipe for just 2 people with out compromising flavor…?
Thanks!
Yikes. That’s tough. I would cut the recipe in half and freeze the rest.
I didn’t see any call for tomatoes, did you use any for this recipe?
No tomatoes.
can I use goat meat instead of beef ?
Of course! That’s originally how we used to eat/ make it. It’s hard to find goat in the US. That’s why I made Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef Stew instead.
I’m originally from the US but currently live in Mexico so I’m able to get fresh goat meat. Normally I would have asked my grandma for the recipe but I wanted to try it differently.
This recipe was originally made with goat, but since it’s hard to find in the US, I made Birria de Res, or Mexican BEEF stew. Hope you liked this recipe!
Do you have to add cinnamon? Or is it optional?
It’s totally optional to add cinnamon to your Birria de Res. I think it adds a bit more depth, but it’s totally up to you. 🙂
Made this tonight in my institution cut the time in half. My husband loved it!
sorry instapot spell check got me
LOL. That’s awesome! I still haven’t bought an instapot.
Que delicias 😉
Gracias!
Hello I love this recipe I plan on making it for new years.. my only question is do I use a cinnamon stick or did you mean 1/4 ground cinnamon power
Cinnamon stick.
Can dried peppers be used without comprising flavor? Thanks.
Any luck on this answer? I didn’t pay attention and bought dried chili’s… it didn’t specify
Sorry. I didn’t realize I had not answered this question. The recipe asks for dried chile guajillos and dried chile anchos. I’ll update the recipe.
Hello Maggie, I cooked the recipe except that I switched the guajillo chiles for the milder California. After the meat had cooked and I tasted it, the barbacoa sauce was SUPER hot, I think it was due to the ancho chiles. So I got rid of half the sauce and replaced it with blended cooked roma tomatoes and fresh garlic. Cooked it on high for another hour and the meat was very tasty and not hot at all. Next time I will use only California chiles. Thnx for sharing your recipe.
Sounds like a great way to make it! 🙂
Hey, What temp on the slow cooker?
never mind!!! I just saw it LOL.. Im too excited to try this out
LOL. Hope you enjoyed it!
You are way too young to be my momma lol Love your recipes. True mexican food. Thanx
Awww… you’re so sweet. Thank you!
I don’t have time to make the seasoning and chiles in blender, can i buy the paste in a can and if so what kind .
Sorry. Wish I could help, but I’ve never bought the paste. I always make it from scratch.
I cooked this recipe yesterday in my slow cooker and oh my gosh it was so delicious! I have a new born baby and slow cooker recipes is ALL I look for! Seriously you guys need to try it. Thanks for the recipe !!! 🙂
That’s so awesome! Congrats on the baby. 🙂
I don’t have a slow cooker. If I made this in a Dutch oven, how do you recommend I cook it? Thank you
Yes. I’ve made this dish in a Dutch oven many times. It needs to cook look enough for the meat to be tender. Also, keep an eye on it to make sure to check if it has enough liquid.
When you toast the chiles you don’t use oil?
No. I usually add them to the pan and turn often. If you’re roasting chile poblanos, though, yes, add oil.
I love how simple this recipe is and the fact that you don’t use an insane amount of weird herbs and spices. Thank you for sharing i will be trying it tomorrow
Awesome! and thank you for your words. Hope you like it.
What kind of meat is used?
I think what I used in the picture was chuck roast, but you can use just about any cut of beef. It’s going to cook for hours and will tenderize the meat.
I made this today and it was AMAZING! This is the first time I’ve used dried peppers and had fun with the process. Thank you for the story also.
Do you have to toast the chiles?
You don’t have to toast the chiles, but it will give another layer of flavor to the Birria de Res. If you skip it, that’s fine too. It will taste delicious regardless.
Do you add the laurel leaves to the blender and blend?
No. Add to the pot. Then remove when the meat is done.
Do you add the whole cinnamon stick in the blender?
Just 1/4 of the cinnamon stick.
I’m confused. Your video shows you adding the Laurel leaves to the blender and blending for the Birra De Res, but your comments say to add them to the pot and remove.
I also want to clarify on the chilis- Are you toasting dried chilies and reconstituting them or using fresh chilies. Can’t WAIT to make this!!!
Is the meat in chunks or do you sear the big block of meat?
It’s a big piece of meat. Not chopped.
This looks so good and easy to make! I love that you garnished with cilantro – one of my favs!
Thank you. Hope you give this recipe a go. 🙂